


Please get this into your thick skull

by Clarimonde, MissTeaVee



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Corin has low self esteem, Corin's lacking knowledge in Mando culture, Din is a useless teacher, Din's in trouble now, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:47:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22575793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clarimonde/pseuds/Clarimonde, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissTeaVee/pseuds/MissTeaVee
Summary: A Mandalorian who joined up as an adult attempts to help Corin realise his place in the universe. It doesn't go so great.
Relationships: Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret)/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Satrina (OC)/Korm'rk (OC)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 241





	Please get this into your thick skull

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Family and Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21758992) by [LadyIrina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIrina/pseuds/LadyIrina). 



> A joint effort of writing, with the wonderful Clarimonde writing Corin's parts and MissTeaVee my own OCs.

Corin was sitting on a seat, watching the world go by, the little one in his lap.

Okay, maybe ‘The World’ was a bit of a misnomer, considering they were in an underground Mandalorian covert, but there was plenty to observe at least. A couple Mandalorians across the hall were playing a strategy game and he was trying to pick up the rules between being distracted by others coming and going, or the giggling of the Tribe’s children where they were occasionally peering around a corner to stare at him and whisper back and forth.

The little guy, for his part, was happy to sit in Corin’s lap and make noises of greeting at every T-visor he saw. A few Mandalorians had even paused to return the baby’s greeting in friendly manner. Corin enjoyed the interruptions, though they made learning the game across the hall difficult, because it made him feel welcome. It was a tenuous thing, sure; he was only welcome as long as Din considered him a friend, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t nice.

A high pitched shriek distracted him, and he looked down in time to stick his leg out to prevent a mostly-naked toddler from crashing into the wall beside him. Instead the little one bounced off Corin’s leg and he flailed forward to catch the kid with one hand, the other supporting the green toddler already in his lap. It might’ve ended in disaster if another pair of adult hands hadn’t suddenly swooped in to help, snatching up the child on the ground, giving Corin the space to balance himself. He planted his foot to right himself, shaking himself free of the surprise and looked up at the Mandalorian who was now holding a wiggling baby in his arms.

“Thal! What did you do with your clothes this time!?” the Mandalorian demanded in a tone Corin recognized all too well from listening to tired mothers in the baby stores he frequented to buy things for Din’s little one. The fact that even Mandalorian babies had a nudist phase amused him greatly. The toddler, for his sake, babbled on happily, a few words here and there that the parent Mandalorian seemed to get the gist of. “I don’t care if you’re warm, you need clothing. We live in a mine.”

“Nayc Na-Buir!” giggled the toddler, looking around and spotting the baby in Corin’s lap, who was reaching out for him with open curiosity. “Sukee!”

“Sukee?” Corin asked no one in particular. The Mandalorian answered him anyway.

“He’s trying to say  _ ‘Su’cuy,’ _ It means hello,” he said. Corin let out a little ‘oh I see’ and glanced up at this Mandalorian. Dark Blue armor but for copper vambraces, no pauldrons. Huh. “Speaking of, hello and thank you for stopping Thal from bouncing off the wall. Kids are durable, but the less opportunities to hurt themselves, the better.”

Corin giggled at that, looking down at the little one in his lap who was still reaching for the Mandalorian’s toddler. “I didn’t know there were other babies here.”

“We spend a lot of time keeping him from escaping and shedding outfits wherever he goes,” the Mandalorian sighs. “You’re Corin, correct? I’m Satrina, this is Thal, he’s my youngest.”

“Yeah, I’m Corin,” he said, looking down at the little one in his lap. “Nice to meet you.”

The green-skinned baby made a loud insistent noise, still reaching for Thal, who giggled, waving. There was a moment of surprise, and the the one in Corin’s lap waved too, beaming. Corin looked up at Satrina who gave a chuckle, leaning over.

“Thal plays nice, how about yours?”

“I… don’t know. He’s never met kids his own uh… equivalent age.”

“Well, better they meet with supervision, right?” Satrina said, sitting a polite distance away from Corin on the same bench and setting Thal beside him and trying to stuff the boy back into his tunic. Corin hesitated but the kid was technically tribesman to the other baby. They ought to know each other. Satrina tied a waistcloth around Thal’s middle and knotting it behind the boy’s back in complicated fashion. “There, maybe I’ll be able to catch you before you get it off this time.”

Thal giggled, smile mischievous, and Corin was struck by the fact that every toddler seemed to know more than they let on. Right now, Thal had too evidently decided that he would humor his father. For now. Satrina gently booped Thal’s nose and the boy looked up at the Mandalorian, reaching up to pat his whole hand against his father’s visor. Despite himself, Corin smiled at the sight. “Play wit’ green?”

Corin looked down at the kid in his lap who was pointing insistently at Thal with little noises, then up at Satrina, who chuckled.

“Sure Ad’ika, but he’s not a toy. He’s a small friend.”

“Like a kitten!?” Thal exclaimed in delight. Satrina shook his head.

“No, he’s a baby, a person like you and me, just very small. So be gentle.”

“Yes Na-buir,” replied the boy with a serious expression. Thal was set on the ground and Corin hesitantly settled the kid down there too.

The kid went straight for the small Mandalorian, who gently put his hands on the little one’s head above his ears and patted him. “Hi!”

There was a squealing giggle, the kid wrapping Thal in a hug and pushing at him until Thal tumbled over backwards with a squeal, the two little ones flailing their legs happily. Corin laughed at the sight, smiling to see the little one happy. Satrina watched for a bit, and once it was evident the two children were playing nicely, he inclined his head, looking Corin up and down with a thoughtful air.

“So, you’ve gotten a lot of beskar lately,” the Mandalorian commented.

“I guess, we picked a few things up as payment for jobs, Paz gave me one piece. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“And the chestplate the Matriarch gave you,” Satrina nodded at it. Corin felt wary of the direction the conversation was going, but the other man seemed relaxed. “But I mean, have you collected any for yourself? For your helmet?”

“My helmet? Why would I have a helmet? Only Mandalorians wear those.” Corin was confused and worried in case the other man was implying that he had crossed a line, maybe the chestplate had been too much? He could feel Satrina staring at him through the T-visor, which only made it worse.

The Mandalorian folded his hands in front of his visor and tilted them inwards like they could press against his mouth- a strange gesture. Finally he spoke again. “Is Djarin not training you to become a Mandalorian? Everyone assumes he is considering you’re clearly his Intended.”

Corin felt like the ground had shifted under him. “Why would he want to train me? I know I help him a lot but I’m not exactly in a position to be trained, I’m not a foundling, more of a tag along.” 

“He hasn’t talked to you about it?” Satrina sounded… unimpressed, and Corin was on the cusp of apologizing, but the Mandalorian kept speaking. “I wasn’t a Foundling either. I started training to become a Mandalorian as an adult. I swore to the creed at age 25. Age has nothing to do with it.”

“I never realised that was possible.” Corin brushed his fringe out his eyes, a nervous expression on his face, the conversation seemed to have taken a dangerous turn.

“Why would he even want to train me? If he wanted someone to follow him in the way he could find anyone more suitable, someone worth the effort.” Corin didn’t feel he could look at the other man, he could feel the judgement against him even through the helmet. He looked over to where the children were quietly playing, typical really. The one time he really wanted the kid to get up to some hellraising and he was as docile as a loth cat because little Thal was teaching him some game about patting their hands together in pattern.

Satrina’s folded hands tapped against the Mandalorian’s visor again and he muttered something in some language that didn’t sound flattering. “Hasn’t he talked to you about this at all? Manda, he’s declared his intentions to everyone but you. He’s given you beskar, he’s taught you some of our fighting techniques. He even repaired his old armor for you. That’s not an easy task, I saw it after it’d been broken.”

“He only repaired the armour so i would stop getting injured and costing him time and credits. I didn’t have any of my own.” Corin felt he had had some variant of this conversation before, many times. Why did people always assume the Mandalorian saw him as anything more than a helper, ok so they had gotten pretty friendly but Corin would never presume to deserve more. 

“Has he never… discussed Mandalorian culture with you? At all?” Satrina asked slowly. When Corin shook his head, the warrior sighed, looking down at the kids. “I suppose he might not’ve realized that you didn’t inherently understand.”

“It never really came up i guess, I know enough to respect his beliefs but why would he need to tell me anything else?”

“Well, there’s respecting and there’s understanding. You should know what it means when someone gives you a keldabe kiss, or offers you a piece of armor. That’s… that’s very important,” Satrina said. He held up his arms. “Do you see how my Vambraces are a different color than the rest of my gear?”

“Yes, I’ve seen lots of colors of armour. Paz has a pretty nice blue set like you I think?” Corin was becoming more confused by the minute, what did armour colors have to do with anything?    
  
“These Vambraces used to belong to Korm’rk, my husband. When we married, we exchanged our vambraces,” Satrina explained patiently. “Gifts always mean something, and the more precious the gift, the more meaning behind them. Armor, weapons, it’s how Mandalorians tell each other that we want them at our side. That we trust each other to be at our side when the going gets hard, when you’re back to back against the enemy.”

“I always have his back, he knows that. Look, i appreciate everything he has done for me, it means more than anything to me to know I have his trust, his friendship. It’s more than I deserve.” Corin was tired of this, he knew in his heart what he wanted but that could only ever be a fantasy, constantly having to explain that the man he loved didn’t love him back was torture. 

“Of course he does, that’s why he gave you that armor, to show that he knows you have his back, that he wants you there. A Mandalorian never gives beskar lightly. Not even to our own children,” Satrina said. “I had to prove myself worthy for Korm’rk. It took me two years to get enough beskar to make my own vambraces that he could trade his for for our wedding.”

He tilted his head, looking at Corin. “Giving gifts of beskar only happens in times of dire need, or to loved ones. I had to earn the beskar I wear. You’re no different.”

“Why can’t you understand that I didn’t earn anything? I don’t know why he gave it to me, I don’t understand what you are trying to say.” Corin snapped out before realising what he had said, he could feel a flush creeping up his neck from the shame. 

The Mandalorian in blue stared at him for several seconds. “If you hadn’t earned it, you wouldn’t be wearing it,” he said flatly. “Djarin would never have even brought up the idea. Maybe you should ask him why he finds you worthy, though from the sound of things he’s too much of a coward to admit it. No wonder half the tribe has designs on you.”

Corin blinked slowly, he could feel the blood rushing to his head, static filled the space between his ears and he could only stare at Satrina as he tried to process what was being said.

“I’m a Stormtrooper, I’m nothing.” he finally managed to whisper. A knock against his leg had him looking down to see the kid determinedly working away at the knot of Thal’s belt, apparently trying to help him escape his clothes again.

“Stop that you little Womp Rat, play nicely,” he said, glad of the temporary distraction, he bent down to try to make the kid let go of his new friend. The kid grinned up at him but managed to evade his hands, scrambling under Satrina’s legs and peering out at him with raised ears. “Kid!”

“By all goddesses and stars, Djarin really hasn’t told you anything,” said the Mandalorian, tone exasperated. Corin winced at the frustration in the Mandalorian’s tone. “ _ Cin Vhetin _ . Who you were before doesn’t matter, only who you are and who you will be. You fought for us, you risked your life to save us. Maybe you were the enemy once, but you’ve broken that chain and proven which side is your true one.”

Corin’s mental processes flailed as he tried desperately to find something to latch onto. The strangeness of Satrina’ first words slowly filtered through. 

“Goddesses? There are Mandalorian goddesses?”

“Eh?” Come from the kid on the floor. Corin looks down to see him looking up at the two with a small frown.

Satrina makes an embarrassed noise. “No… that’s… a leftover from who I was before. I was born and raised on Alderaan.”

He folded his hands on his knees, perhaps still talking, but Corin couldn’t tell. _ Alderaan. _ This Mandalorian had been born on Alderaan. The world the Empire, people like Corin, had destroyed. It was like a siren was deafening him; his insides twisted, he suddenly felt hot and sick, his skin seeming too small to keep him from soaking into the floor. 

“I er have to go, I, er, bathroom.” Corins’ legs thankfully still worked, and he stumbled to his feet hearing Satrina’s confused ‘ _ okay? _ ’. He made it a couple of corridors away, no clear idea where he was heading, only that it was away. A phantom tug pulled at him. He collapsed back against the wall, pulse thundering in his ears. The kid! He’d left the kid with the Alderaani Mandalorian. The Mandalorian whose life had been decimated by Corin and his kind. He had to get back to the kid, had to slow his heart, his breathing was coming too fast- 

“Corin?”

He startled, turning to see familiar unpainted beskar. “Din?”

“What’s going on?” The bounty hunter’s posture was tight. Corin let out a shuddering breath. “Corin?”

“I- I just… I’m sorry,” He said, ashamed of himself. “I was… I was talking to Satrina- He’s from Alderaan and I couldn’t- I’m a stormtrooper he must-”

“Corin,” Din’s hands gripped tightly at Corin’s biceps. “Were you on the Death Star? Did you push the button that destroyed a planet?”

“I-No… No.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You told me yourself, you just wanted to survive. Satrina knows you’re not the enemy,” Corin stared into that T-visor, wanting to believe Din so badly. His breathing slowed, Din’s touch grounding him. Finally he relaxed, slumping back against the wall, supported by his Mandalorian’s hands. Din let out a long sigh, holding him. “Where’s the kid?”

Corin snapped back to alertness, he had left the kid behind. Some babysitter he was; this was more bad luck. Din trusted him to take care of the kid, not run off and leave him. He had to get back, had to force his legs to go back there. 

“I’m so sorry, he’s with Satrina and his son, I didn’t think, I’m so useless but he was just so quiet and they were playing and I Just needed….”

“You’re not useless, Corin,” Din said softly. “It’s fine.. Mandalorians leave our kids in each other’s care all the time. Satrina’s probably happy to take care of him for a bit and give his kid someone to play with.”

Din pressed his forehead to Corin’s and Corin shuddered, feeling unworthy… but Din had said it was okay. The kid was fine with the other Mandalorian. He knew that, he supposed; Mandalorians always looked out for little ones. But still, he’d failed by forgetting about the kid. But he could still stand here with Din, just the two of them, for a couple minutes. It was okay. He let out a long deep breath, leaning into the other man’s touch. Din was still here, not running after the kid, content to just be here with him. Was it too much like good luck to hope that maybe he hadn’t failed? 

Corin reluctantly straightened, causing Din to step away; he was unwilling to push good luck any further. He knew Din didn’t share his feelings. He couldn’t risk what he already had by trying for more. “We’d better go see what sort of a mess the kid has made while I’ve been gone, poor Satrina is probably trying to coax him down off the ceiling by now.”

Din laughed and they headed back the way Corin had come. Looking down the hall, he spotted Satrina crouching by the two toddlers, and he wasn’t alone. Another Mandalorian stood over them, wearing copper armor and… blue vambraces. It pinged in Corin’s head that that had to be the husband Satrina had mentioned. The Copper-armored warrior knelt down to join the happy children, looking to Satrina. The two Mandalorians leaned in close and pressed their helmets together for just a moment, the blue-armored one making a brief nuzzling motion.

Corin suddenly felt like he was interrupting a private moment. Down the hall, the two mandalorians were still head-to-head, gently grasping one another. It was so intimate, somehow. He’d never realized how tender that gesture could be. Was this what people saw when Din leaned into him? No wonder non-Mandalorians misunderstood their relationship; they didn’t know all the variations of that gesture.

“They make for a cute couple,” Din commented idly. Corin turned to stare at him for a moment, wondering why that was sticking in his head oddly. “I remember when Satrina swore to the Creed. The instant the ceremony was over Korm’rk grabbed his hand and announced that he and Satrina would Marry as soon as Satrina had proper vambraces.” He idly brushed a hand over Corin’s pauldron. 

Corin blushed deeply, not sure why he was reacting that way. He hated to interrupt the moment between the two Mandalorians, but the kid noticed him and Din and squealed loudly, causing Satrina and Korm’rk to separate anyway. Satrina tilted his head, looking straight at Din.

“Ah Djarin! I was hoping to have a brief word with you.”

“You… were?” Din asked, shifting curiously. Satrina nodded.

“ _ Elek, jorcu gar cuy di’kut.” _

Din tensed, clearly glaring at Satrina. Korm’rk snickered, kneeling down and picking up the green child, who cooed and giggled, patting his mask. Thal made an indignant noise. “Ko-Buir! Me!”

“Yes Ad’ika,” said Korm’rk, first handing the bat-eared child to Corin, effectively distracting him as Satrina grasped Din’s elbow and walked him a little way down the hall. Corin held onto the tiny child like a lifeline, he kissed the top of his head, breathing in the same air as his beloved infant. It soothed the last ragged traces of his former panic to know all was well. The child cooed and began to chew on the collar of Corin’s shirt. The copper armored Mandalorian picked up his own son, cradling him in one arm. “Good to meet you, Corin.”

He offered his free hand and Corin reached out warily to shake it, but Korm’rk grasped his wrist instead. “No like this, Mandalorians clasp the wrist when we greet, symbolically it says we can pull our allies to safety if need be.”

Corin processed the word ally and nodded, too relieved the awkward questions had stopped to argue any further. The Mandalorian seemed quite at ease, less curious than his partner. The little human toddler giggled when Korm’rk’s hand released Corin’s, and Thal stuck out one chubby little fist.

“Sukee!”

_ “Su’cuy,” _ Korm’rk corrected with a fond tone. “You want to meet Corin, do you?”

Corin slowly held out a hand to the child, keeping one eye on the boy’s father in case this seemed too forward. The boy leaned outwards and his father moved a little closer so he could reach. Sticky fingers clamped with a surprising strength onto Corin’s wrist when he’d gently clasped the little one’s arm. Corin smiled despite himself and spoke solemnly to the toddler. “It’s very nice to meet you Thal.”

There was a giggle from Corin’s arms, the little one reaching for Thal, who lit up at the attention from his friend and wiggled in the copper-armored Mandalorian’s arms for the other child. Corin felt his child shift away from his shoulder, wriggling as he turned and tried to get closer to Thal, one little fist waving at his friend as he strained out of the secure hold. Corin shifted closer to the stocky Mandalorian to stop the child from falling and the three little claws managed to hook the boy’s wrist. Both children squealed with laughter. 

_ “Ibac Copik’la _ ,” came Satrina’s voice, warm with amusement. Corin looked up to see him and Din returning. Din’s posture was tense and unhappy and Corin winced. Before the ex-stormtrooper could say anything, Din noticed what the kids were doing and his body language softened.

“I think it’s about time for Thal to have a nap.” Satrina said. “Well, it will be once he’s cleaned up, hmm, Ad’ika?”

Thal giggled, releasing the child in Corin’s arms as Korm’rk moved closer to his husband. The child reached up to his father in blue and nuzzled against Satrina’s visor. Corin smiled despite himself at the sight, especially when the little one in his arms reached out to do the same for Din. Corin watched this, feeling very soft, but a quiet click had him glance over in time to see the other two Mandalorians with their helmets pressed together. Embarrassed, he looked down at Din’s kid. “Maybe we should get you down for a nap too or all three of us will get no sleep tonight.” 

“Mhmm,” There was a tone of amusement out of Korm’rk’s voice that Corin didn’t trust at all. He swung his head slightly and Corin somehow got the impression he was being winked at. Korm’rk bobbed his head at Din, tone playful. ” _ Kaysh cu’amir Mando’ad ori’jate meh gar be’solyc ke’bajur, _ Djarin.”

Din made an awkward throat-clearing noise. Corin had gotten pretty good at reading him and he could tell the difference between anger and nerves; Din looked like someone had suddenly told him he needed to fight another mudhorn. 

_ “Te’habir gar kovid be gar shebs ru ash’ad parjir kaysh kar’ta,” _ Satrina said to Din, who tensed further. The blue-helmed Mandalorian nodded to Corin. “I’ll probably see you later. You should bring the little one to play with the other children. It’s good for them to make friends.”

“I will if that’s ok, they do seem fond of each other already.” 

“Good,” Satrina said, turning to walk away with his husband. They moved down the hall, pausing as a lanky teenager appeared from a side corridor carrying another toddler. Satrina took this second little one and leaned over to gently press his helmet to the teenager’s before the whole unit headed out. Corin watched, wondering how they had some many kids. Were they all Foundlings?   
  
The whole picture seemed so domestic, so at odds with the armour and the hidden faces that Corin just stared after them as they walked away. It was beautiful to see; something few non-Mandalorians got to see. For a fraction of a second he allowed himself to imagine himself and Din that way before he pushed the image back down. It was not meant for him, and it would only bring bad luck to wish. But there was something he wanted to know.

Din turned to walk towards the quarters he and Corin shared, and Corin happily followed after, asking him if the mission he’d done had gone well. Din’s posture relaxed all at once and he started describing the job to Corin, reaching out to pet his kid’s head. It made Corin happy to see his friend so relaxed and content. Spending time at the covert was good for Din, and it was worth it for Corin, even if he had to deal with some strange Mandalorians that way. He noticed that Din seemed to have forgotten the stress from whatever Satrina had told him, which was good.

The little green infant looked at his fathers, a smug expression that seemed too old for his baby features lit up his face. At times he seemed to be more aware than such a little child should be, but then he was actually older than either man. Something they usually forgot. Corin had no idea what the two men had said in Mando’a to make Din nervous but he was determined to get to the bottom of it now that they were alone. He turned to the Mandalorian, gently bouncing the baby in his arms. “So, what did Satrina want to talk to you about?”

Din’s pace slackened and he nearly tripped over his own feet. The child laughed. 

**Author's Note:**

>  _Elek, jorcu gar cuy di’kut_ -Yes, because you’re a dumbass  
>  _Ibac Copikla_ \- That’s adorable (Copikla - Charming/Cute as applied ONLY to babies and animals.)  
>  _Kaysh cu’amir Mando’ad ori’jate meh gar be’solyc ke’bajur._ \- He’ll make a good Mandalorian if you actually train him.  
>  _Te’habir gar kovid be gar shebs ru ash’ad parjir kaysh kar’ta._ \- Get your head out of your ass before someone else wins his heart.


End file.
